The Sylvania City Council approved an ordinace to accept the proposal of the SmithGroup of Ann Arbor, Mich. to update the city’s zoning code. According to city of Sylvania Economic Development Director, Bill Sanford, the SmithGroup was the design group that worked on the River Trail project.
City Council approved an ordinance to authorize Mayor Stough and Finance Director, Toby Schroyer, to enter into an agreement to share the city’s riot gear with the city of Toledo’s trained riot squad, who are in need of the equipment. As part of the agreement, TPD will hold two spots in their police academy for Sylvania new hires who have not had this training.
In other business, Sylvania Police Chief, Danilynn Miller, requested that council consider an agreement with Flock Inc., a fixed mounted License Plate Reader camera company. According to the chief, the cameras could be mounted in strategic areas around the city. As part of the system, they read and record all license plates crossing in the camera view. If the vehicle is stolen, has an AMBER alert or other alert tied to that license plate, the officers are notified of the location and direction of travel of that vehicle.
This is a system that is already in use by several agencies in Lucas County and would be a great asset in investigating criminal activity as well as assisting in missing people. Several people with diminished mental capacity have become confused while driving and the ability for these cameras to alert authorities is a game changer in helping to locate them quickly. Council referred the issue to the Safety Committee for review at the Sept. 19 council meeting.